Mary (Bissell) Pettibone (1666 - aft. 1740)

Born 15 Sep 1666 in Windsor, Hartford County, Connecticut

Ancestors

Wife of John Pettibone Jr — married 18 Dec 1690 in Windsor, Hartford County, Connecticut

Descendants

Died after 30 Dec 1740 after age 74 in Simsbury, Hartford County, Connecticut

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Tom Bredehoft [send private message]

Biography

Mary's Biography

Mary was born in 1666. Mary Bissell ... She passed away after 1740. ^[1] She is the daughter of Samuel Bissell and Mary Bissell. ^[2]
Mary Bissell

Birth 15 SEP 1666 Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut

Mary (Bissell) Pettibone inherited £20 from her father in 1700 and in 1711 was awarded a substantial amount of property from the estate of her deceased brother [Manwaring, A Digest of the Early Connecticut Probate Records, 2:21]. Two years later John Pettibone and his four surviving brothers each inherited one-fifth of the land owned by their father, "in addition to that already given" to them [Manwan'ng, 2:271]

There is on record a deposition by Deborah (Bissell) Pettibone, her sister, Mary (Bissell)Pettibone, and their sister-in-law, Sarah (Pettibone) Humphrey, which casts revealing light on the personal lives of these three women of the Pettibone family, an aspect of colonial families that is very difficult to document. Here it indicates that the three women, unable to write, memorized a long dictation from their sister-in-law which they were able to remember for eight or nine days before they found someone to write it down for them. The resulting document was then deemed acceptable in a court of law. On a more trivial level, the will also suggests that in central Connecticut in the early 1700s a bride was expected to bring to the marriage a feather bed, blanket, coverlet, and sheets as part of her dowry.

Will: The testimony of Mary Pettibone, the wife of Lieut. John Pettibone, and Sarah Humphrey, the wife of Deacon John Humphreys, and Deborah Pettibone, the wife of Stephen Pettibone, all of lawfull age, is as foloeth: that we being att the new dwelling house of Joseph Cornish in Simsbury to see the widdow Abigail Enno, the wife of James Enno, late of Windsor decest, in the time of her sickness, and she supposed her sickness to be dangrus, she called us all three to bare witness that she did give to her fouer dauters all my weareing apparel equally to be divided amongst them. And I do give to my dafter Suzanna my silver bodkin. Also, I give to my fouer dauters my to fether bedes with all the furnituer belonging to them, only reserving to Samuel Enno the use of one fether bed and bolster, one couerlid, one blanket and one pair of sheets for the space of one year in case he doth not marrey, and then to be deliuered up unto the dafters, and if he doth marray within one year, then to deliuer it up to the dafters. Furthermore, I giue to my fouer daughters [sic] all my in dowers mooueables, to be equally diuided amongst them. Furthermore, I giue all my out dore mooeuables,stock, and land unto all my children. sons and daugters, to be equaly deuided amongst them after my just debts and funaral debts are paid. And we do further testifie that all the time she made disposal of her estate in this manner as aboue said, she was well, to our judgements, both in mind and memory. As witness our hands this 20th day of April, 1728. Witness: Mary Pettibone, Sarah X Pettibone, Deborah X Pettibone And further the deponents do testifie and say that the foregoing words in wrighting and verball will was fully declared by the said Abigail Enno, and without any urgency of any person as we know of. And about eight or nine days after keeping the sd discourse perfectly in our minds, we comitted it to wrighting by James Hillier, who was the subscriber thereof [Manwaring, 2:502-3]. (spelling optional)

Sources

1. ↑ Entered by Tom Bredehoft, Apr 25, 2012
2. ↑ Entered by Tom Bredehoft, Jul 15, 2012

• Tom Bredehoft information from the LDS FamilySearch click to view image. Click the Changes tab for the details of edits by Tom and others.
• Tom Bredehoft, Pettibone Registry p 10, 15 (see Sharp-661) Stiles Genealogy and History of Ancient Windsor, 2:562. Click the Changes tab for the details of edits by Tom and others.

Acknowledgements

• This person was created through the import of Elise Free_2011-04-22.ged on 23 April 2011.

Merges

This profile developed through the merging of Bissell-122 into Bissell-28.